Nameless King

"Is this my reward?" Alas looked at the dagger, puzzled.

"It looks like it. Show us its description." Ern said.

Alas nodded.

[Dagger of the Forgotten Wind (Third Chronicle, Rare Rating)

This dagger once belonged to a professional hunter. He knew better than anyone how to hunt and carve his prey. His knife was his best friend].

"Pretty simple, but not bad." Ern waved his hand.

"Does that mean that every Spirit is some sort of reward?" Erza asked, "However, do we have to do a task like this every time?"

"I think so." Wain nodded, "Not all assignments will be that easy. It was a green Spirit with blue wings, so I guess it was one of the weaker ones."

"Hmm..." Ern pondered, "That has to be checked."

He looked at the Spirits as he released his powerful aura. Suddenly all the Spirits flew apart. They were frightened and decided to run away.

"Damn... Is it just the wimps around here?" Ern muttered frustratedly.

"You have quite an aura." Suddenly there was a stern voice.

A Spirit headed toward Ern; he was red with purple wings. Unlike the last Spirit, a belligerent aura emanated from this one.

"Will you give me an assignment too?" Ern smiled.

"No. I don't care about your skill. All I care about is how strong you are!" The Spirit exclaimed as a massive red magic circle appeared behind him.

A scarlet phantom that looked like an Elf emerged from it. He had long hair, a confident look, and light crimson armor.

"Let's begin." The Phantom said as he adopted a fighting stance.

"A fist fight? I like it!" Ern smiled.

'Come to think of it, I've never seen Ern fight, I don't even know his abilities...' Wain muttered inwardly, 'This should be interesting.'

Ern and Phantom attacked simultaneously. Their silhouettes blurred, and they were in front of each other a moment later. Their fists slammed into each other, then there was a whistling sound as ripples rippled through the air. The shockwave was so powerful that it threw Erza and Alas aside. They had to grab onto something to regain their balance.

'What was that? Alas inwardly exclaimed, 'Wasn't that a simple blow?

'Ern has such incredible physical strength... I thought I had no equal, but this... Damn, why is he so strong?! Erza mouthed to herself.

"Not bad." The Phantom smiled, "I thought your arm would break like a stick, but instead, I feel like I ran into a steel rod."

"Yeah... You're not bad either, but we can't stop there." Ern sighed as his horns glowed.

Ern threw another punch. His fist was covered in a blue veil and became even more powerful. The space next to his fist began to distort.

Bam.

Their fists met again, but the Phantom could not withstand the pressure this time. The shockwave threw him aside.

Phantom was surprised, he didn't understand how Ern had the strength to overwhelm his opponent in a direct confrontation.

"It is the end." Ern grinned as he jumped high.

He kicked the Phantom from top to bottom while it was still in the air. The Phantom flew downward like a cannonball, so the ground shook and many cracks spread from the epicenter.

The Phantom threw up a mouthful of blood but quickly got up and tried to counterattack. However, Ern was already there. He knocked the Phantom to the ground and continued his attack. With a smile, Ern pounded Phantom until there was no more life in him. The ground shook with each of his blows as the cracks grew larger.

Bam.

Ern struck one last blow. His fist tore the Phantom apart, and the ordeal was over.

"Well done, you're a good fighter, so you're entitled to an appropriate reward." The Spirit uttered.

An amulet with a red, bloody stone in the center appeared before Ern. A powerful aura emanated from it, as if from an ancient artifact.

Ern looked at the description as he nodded.

"Not bad. I like this place more and more." Ern moved the amulet into the ring, "Wain, Erza, you should definitely try this."

"Ern, how strong was this Spirit? As far as I understand, the amulet you got has a Heroic Rating, right?" Wain asked.

"Yes, it's not a bad amulet. The Spirit was strong but not enough to make me give it my best shot. We need to find spirits with red or orange wings. I wonder how strong they'll be." Ern pondered.

"Okay, we need to move on. This is just the beginning. We need to find the Royal Spirit and more." Wain headed onward.

...

They walked through forests, crossed lakes, met unusual beasts, and occasionally passed tests of Spirits of varying difficulty. However, they still found nothing worthwhile.

"Damn, we've been wandering around here for hours and still haven't encountered a single Spirit with red wings." Ern shook his head, "Is that normal?"

"Most likely, Spirits of that level can't be found that easily. They don't fly like the others over the woods. I think we need to find some temples, maybe abandoned castles, whatever. The most valuable treasures are always hidden in well-protected places." Alas suggested.

"I think so, too." Erza nodded, "But... How do we find these places?"

"We need to get there." Wain pointed to the soaring islands, "It's quite beautiful here, but these massive trees are seriously disturbing us. Even if there are no temples on the islands, at least we'll get a glimpse of the forest from the other side."

"The idea is good, but the islands are too high up." Ern grabbed his chin, "I hate to admit it, but even I can't jump up there. As far as I know, you can't fly either, so what are our options?"

"Don't worry." Alas said, "I can solve this problem. It's time for me to show what I can do."

"Are you sure?" Wain asked.

"Of course. There are no barriers to the wind. It goes where it wants to go, and so do I. Come to me." Alas uttered as swirls appeared in his pupils.